BAHRAIN is exploring new treatment methods alongside international experts to fight the spread of Covid-19, reports the GDN's Mohammed Al A'ali.

National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (Covid-19) Monitoring Committee head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani revealed that Bahrain was working closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on experimental trials for potential treatments including Remdesivir.

He was speaking yesterday during a webinar hosted by Bahrain and featured international experts combating the coronavirus, where he explained that Bahrain has already started plasma therapy on four patients after receiving blood donations.

Lt Col Dr Al Qahtani said there was optimism regarding the process which involves taking antibody-rich plasma from recovered coronavirus patients and injecting it into people who have severe cases of the disease.

“We have seen cases in which discharged Covid-19 patients, who were fully treated, returning and we are working on gene sequencing to determine whether it is just reinfection or different strains,” explained Lt Col Dr Al Qahtani during the webinar.

“Since February 13, and three weeks before the first case was discovered, we were ready and over a nine-week journey we have been testing, tracing and treating people as we expanded our health capacity.

“We started with three locations and now we have nine locations with 2,600 beds, along with a 500-bed ICU.

“We launched a 130-bed ventilator ICU in seven days at the BDF Hospital car park, and another for 60 ICU in Sitra.

“There are 45 people receiving 6,000 calls a day and not all are medics but they have been trained to handle situations.

“This comes as we work to reach 120,000 tests and explore antidotes – we started with plasma therapy and support the WHO in trials and we are considering Remdesivir for testing.”

Bahrain’s plasma therapy protocol follows similar initiatives announced by the UAE, Kuwait and other nations.

The treatment, known as the convalescent plasma therapy, involves extracting the liquid component of blood from someone who has survived the infection and injecting it into people tested Covid-19 positive. However, plasma donors and recipients must be of the same blood type.

Many countries, including Bahrain, are currently using hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus, a drug typically used to treat malaria and lupus, which has shown, in limited research, potential to speed up recovery.

But studies also cite that it comes with risks; when administered in high doses, it can cause heart arrhythmia and cardiac arrest.

Meanwhile, independent public health consultant Professor John Ashton yesterday praised Bahrain’s systematic approach to combating Covid-19.

He said during the webinar that Bahrain has successfully managed to keep the infection rate at less than one per cent of its population.

“Bahrain has moved forward with a systematic approach that has kept infection rates at less than 1pc of the population,” he said.

“This came as the country conducted tests, which are one of the highest per capita across the world, through a healthcare mechanism that is robust and reliable with huge efforts to protect those on the frontline from getting infected.

“Labour residences have a public health impact, but tests are being taken in tandem.”

He also predicted that Bahrain would soon be able to reduce restrictions, but warned that vulnerable groups should not become complacent.

“People will have to live under new rules whether there is a second wave or continuation and the vulnerable should be taken under account,” he added.

Around 700 people took part in yesterday’s webinar which was held under the patronage of Bahrain’s National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (Covid-19) head and Supreme Council for Health chairman Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

The webinar was led by Covid-19 experts from Kuwait, the UK and the US, among other countries.